Sunday, October 31, 2010

Samyak Charitra: Good or Bad deeds will bind us and our soul will continue to remain in the cycle of re births. Our KARMA should be SUDDHA (Clean and Pure) without any hatred/expectations/attachments and with the neutrality of mind.

Neutrality towards good and bad is THE WAY to be to attain MOKSHA. Liberation of Soul from the Body of any kind.

Samyak Gyan: When the soul is free from the bondage of KARMA (All our actions and deeds of past and present births) Soul attains Liberation and that's Moksha. No more Re births.

Gods are souls who have attained MOKSHA. They are not the controller or manager of the world. Theory of KARMA is the operative law in the universe. Applies to each and every living being irrespective of caste, creed, religious beliefs, geography or sex.

On the day of Diwali (527 BC) the last Tirthankara of last chovisi (set of 24 gods) Lord Mahavira attained MOKSHA.

Happy Diwali to every soul in this Universe. May all souls move towards final liberation.

Monday, October 25, 2010

I fail to understand WHY insurance companies are not FOCUSING on Health Care for People in their mass communication and ad campaigns and focus on selling insurance policies only???

Advantage: (Manifold)

1) Wide spread health care campaigns will do over all health improvement across the population

2) This will be social awareness along with brand building. People will feel that U are genuinely interested in their health management and disease prevention. (& Not only interested in selling yr products)

Still I do not see any insurance companies talking about preventive health management as their mission or communication they use. They only talk abt their plans and policies using costliest possible BRAND ambassadors.

This is what happens when companies are internal focussed and how they ACT when they have COMMODITY selling mindset. NOW this applies to every companies insurance or otherwise.

I was in BITS Pilani Goa Campus last weekend. No not as a faculty but my son studies there so I was there to meet him. We had a great conversations on status of students mindset at the campus. It may be representative of all the campus of Engg colleges.

1) Students are extremely JOB Focussed.

2) Students are extremely CERTIFICATE (Extra Curricular Activities) Focussed without actually working to earn it.

3) Students are indifferent to Many area of CONCERNS. FITTING into the system is the MIND SET.

4) Expecting too much from the Institutes without going out of the way to take initiatives.

(Applicable to MOST and not ALL students)

But isn't it the mind set of everyone employed??? Its our CULTURE. Its the society we live in.

We all are indifferent to many area of concern affecting our life , we are FITTING into the SYSTEM without have initiatives to make dent where-ever we work, We want wrong credits for the work not done by us. We are SALARY oriented and not acting like an entrepreneurs where-ever we work even if we are employed.

This is the reason most of all employed are easily replaceable.

If u need to be told to what is to be done, then you are a COOK (Need instructions on what is to be done) however future belongs to the CHEFs. Isn't it easy to find cookbooks ?? Does any one knows abt Chef Book??

Take CHARGE of your life or someone else will.

Note: Seriously recommend to read book LINCHPIN by Seth Godin to every COOKs.

Friday, October 22, 2010

Feedback is the most POWERFUL tool to know how enterprise is performing. Feedback from customers, vendors and employees.

Free and Fair feedback from these stake holders will shape the management policies to navigate into the future.

TOP Management does lot of things assuming our stakeholders must be happy about it or with whatever I /We do is always correct. Who better than us can know it better ???

Its always a myth. Feedback from Family made Valmiki a GREAT SAGE. He was notorious as long as he was living of his OWN without the feedback for whom he assumed he was doing what he was doing.

Does yr company has feedback system which regularly map the performance against the expectations of three stake holders stated above??? (Shareholders will be anyway happy if the other three stakeholders r happy).When was the last time your company took feed backs and it also reached to the TOP management?

Having a customer should be a matter of JOY internally and same should be conveyed and expressed to the customer in numerous ways and surprises. Think HOW most of us are getting our most of the customers??? Its through REFERRAL and that will happen only if CUSTOMER is delighted through some or many or even more of points stated above. How many of the owners meet their direct customers??

Unfortunately No one does it. Existing customers are ALWAYS forgotten once the transaction is over !!!

What a fun if U are not talk of the town for Gr8 reasons?? Let your existing customers become your sales person.

Alternative, endless participation in exhibitions and competing in COMMODITY world.

Which ONE POINT which CUSTOMERS VALUE is unique abt your so called BRAND??

In Mumbai Auto Rick fare has changed recently. It is now not as easy and as simple as it was earlier. So every time one commutes, at the end of the journey commuter ask driver "How Much??" or "Show me the rate card." This is normal and usual practice. I must have travelled with more than 100 instances.

Today I saw rate card affixed on the back of driver's seat i.e. in front of the commuter. Wow!!! Simple but gr8 idea.

What will happen??? No need to ask or show me the card kind of untrustworthy behavior from commuters. U see and pay. Thats it. Its very very simple idea but 100s odd I have travelled have not applied this. So its unusual.

Innovations in life or Moments of Truth for the customers are simple well thought out steps executed flawlessly which will make customer's life easy and make the whole experience delightful.

Its SIMPLE. Focus on CUSTOMERS. (Your Boss will be Happy & so is the CUSTOMER)

Today morning while having my breakfast my phone rang and it was our watchman from the gate.

He said "Sir U r CA (CPA of India) isnt it? I want signature on the CA entrance exam form for my daughter". I could not recognize him but ask him to come for the signature. After some time when he appeared at my door I was pleasantly surprised and slightly amazed also. I completed the signature etc and gave him back the form.

Wow!!! What an optimism and inspiration of people at every strata of the society!!! Amazing. We can bank upon the future of INDIA.

CA is the only professional exam where entry is easy and exit is difficult. In all other professional courses whether MBAs, Engg or Medical reverse is true. Even cost wise also its the easiest and cheapest as compared to all fancy MBA degrees. Respect Parallel and knowledge in some cases more than MBAs.

India is certainly shining in some parts where it was not earlier. Let that part grow bigger and faster.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

This Diwali we will be visiting Amritsar, Delhi and Rishikesh. To be precise 3rd visit Amritsar and Rishikesh. Delhi many times.

Another option cud be some new places. Yes Good Idea to explore. However once u have memorable and exciting experiences u wud like to repeat the same. Its a human nature.

Same logic or emotion applies when we are dealing with any of the products or services we consume. BRAND loyalty is nothing but "enjoyed previous experience and want to repeat the same again." Thats the reason every enterprise MUST design delightful and memorable customer experiences. It cannot happen automatically. In MOVIE, whatever we see , is precisely planned and executed. Though it look very natural but is a design of the TEAM movie makers.

Unfortunately companies don't design their customer experiences. They will design their factories, offices, org chart, everything else but NOT Customer Experience. In this attention deficit world we are in, unless enterprises focus on the last part i.e. creating /designing delightful customer experiences, BRAND loyalty will be a illusive.

There are whole lot of passionate new and young entrepreneurs purely focusing on customer experience. They r the future. Rest all will REST sooner than later.

1) Why men wear tie and move like buffalo without shepherd?? How many of men who wear tie enjoys it?

2) Why color of men's suit is invariably BLACK? If u go to any conferences or seminars , you will hardly see difference in that hall and stable. All black in colors!!! No imaginative thinking as far as mens wear is concerned.

3) Now compare this with women conference. U will not find single similarity in dressings. Amazing amount of innovation and creativity.

4) I think this speaks of creativity and differentiation thinking that takes place when in any org WOMEN is on top.

5) It may sound incomparable or no parallel but its true.

We are what we we do daily with our lives. Men please wake up. Innovate personally to innovate where u work. Its always inside out. Next time in seminar and conferences or wherever, apply yr self, don't follow blindly.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Vertical Parts between two Horizontal Steps have captured the imagination of marketeers. Yes, in Mumbai Suburban Stations on staircase these vertical parts are used by Colors Channel to promote Big Boss. One more attempt of marketeers to promote product extensively without product having powerful contents. No one from Good Family will watch Big Boss this year especially cuz of the kind of people its stuffed with. (Last year it was different with AB in Command and most participants were D'Cent)

I think most marketeers use the same technique and focus on massive ad campaigns without doing something to improve, Customer Xperience while using product or services.

Invest in CUSTOMER CENTRIC Products and Services, Marketing and selling will take care of it self through Massive Referral Engine of Customer/Users Referral.

Wake Up Marketeers. Don't allow AD agencies to control your business promotion, let it be done by product and services it self & its users.

Making A Difference not only in the world around us but world inside us is the purpose through this blog.

First of all I recommend Welcome Read of book LINCHPIN by Seth Godin to everyone employed, self employed or unemployed.

Second come share your thoughts,views, experiences of the world U r living in abt people, places, products and thoughts.

Third remove the cap of the religion, circumstance and background of ideas with which we have lived till today.Start a fresh on a new slate. Be open to new ideas and thoughts. We have very limited knowledge but we have potential of becoming liberated soul with complete knowledge. Have that PURPOSE in Mind.

Too much of money and still devoting beautiful life to earn more is sheer waste of this human life. How much money do one wants? Even doing social services with excess money is futile as far as our purpose of present birth.

Sole purpose of this human life is to earn liberation from the cycle of re births. Therefore wasting days and months & years to earn excess money and then devoting some time and money for social work is selfish or rather foolish exercise in nature.

Stop at certain level. It must be reasonable and limited. Focus on the purpose of your life, from where have u come ?, why u r here? , where will go from this birth after death??. is there anyway in which I can end this cycle of life and death and sufferings??

Some or rather mosts says u must not retire from yr working life. I wud say one must retire at earliest possible opportunity. This precious human birth should not be wasted sheer for the purpose of earning. There is far greater purpose in life than mere earning till death.

Pause & Think. (Yr purpose on this EARTH) . Quickly, as the time is limited & flying.

Saturday, October 16, 2010

I read Delivering Happiness by CEO of Zappos.com. Must read for every entrepreneurs. When most of our time in life is spent on working for some or the other companies, creating atmosphere of fun and happiness for all the stake holders is the primary role of top management.

They have their Zappos Culture Book where in all employees and many customers writes abt the company. People can ask for free copies of this culture book also. They will send in 5 days anywhere in the world. I got in Mumbai. They also arrange for free company visit for anyone who wish to visit their company and provide to and fro commuting services from Las Vegas Airport.

Point is: Why all companies are not focussed on fun, happiness, customer delight??? Company with singular profit bottom line approach will find it difficult to attract best of the talents. B Schools and Top Management must unlearn fast & open their eyes to know how the FUTURE WINNERS will emerge. It is not that B School should teach how to run companies it is rather other way round. Companies like Zappos will set the motion of syllabus change in many B Schools.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Last eve I was at Lodha Palce, they have changed the way real estate projects is being marketed. Truly world class. They launched 50 storey residential tower World Crest at Upper Worli. Truly amazing way and power of intermediary of making a difference. Those developers are bye passing intermediary have to learn how to pamper and groom/train their intermediates.

A major part of Customer Experience starts with how people selling yr products looks, talk, their knowledge, motivation and passion for the products.

Its the role of the companies whose goods/services they r selling. Real Estate Companies MUST invest in intermediaries. Train and Groom them periodically. They may be freelancer but investment in them will reap fantastic benefits Companies must change they way they are selling. Out bound Call Centers and mindless SMS will not do magic. Think Creatively DAILY.

Monday, October 11, 2010

1) What I Do - Professionally
2) What I Believe - Spiritually & Politically
3) What I Read - Books , Articles , Blog and Much More
4) What I Experience - Real Life experiences as I travel through the JOURNEY

(Menu will change periodically)

I believe I will write twice a week. Too much writing usually lacks substance and readers lose interest quickly.